Blank Pages (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)
by Ira the Shiny Umbreon
Summary: Ira Kenwood, More commonly known as The Whiptail Alchemist travels around with the Elric Brother's, Edward and Alphonse Elric. They describe their adventures and pasts as they find out the truth behind everything. (Also on My Wattpad Account NyxisChan and Quotev Ira-Chan)
1. The Whiptail Alchemist

"The Freezing Alchemist, really? He's here?"

"We have information that he managed to slip into Central a few days ago." The Führer paused, then carried on, "I need you and your men to smoke him out, and bring him in."

Mustang looked up from the neutral expression he had worn for the whole meeting, "Consider it done sir." He said firmly.

"Hm, I'm glad your in Central with us for a while Mustang," The Führer continued. "It's good to have people here that I know I can count on."

"Sir."

"Ah- One last thing, A couple of rising young stars are here as well, I'm placing them at your disposal."

"Forgive me Führer Bradley, But just to be clear, are you referring to-"

"I am," He turned to the younger man, "The Fullmetal and Whiptail Alchemists, Edward Elric, and Ira Kenwood."

"Aw Dammit, The Colonels never gonna let us out of here is he?"

"We already bought our tickets to Liore too…" Trailed off a suit of armor, who stood next to the sitting boy who had just spoken. "Does this mean we're not going?"

"I don't know Al," The boy said, standing up, sighing. "For now, let's just get this over with. K?"

The girl who had been seated next to him previously, silently stood up, stretching. She yawned and looked over the rooftops _'Well, this will sure be interesting, won't it?'_ she thought to herself, smirking a bit.

"Lead the way Ed."

The sound of whistles sounded through the streets as Ira kept pace with her friends and traveling partners, the Elric Brothers, who were running quite swiftly for a suit of armor and a boy missing an arm and a leg. She wasn't much to sneeze at, missing her shoulders, right arm, left leg, and right eye, But we won't get into that until later, right?

"THERE HE GOES!" "THAT WAY!"

Ira gasped and turned her head slightly to the right as she heard the yelling of men, most likely after her target. They were about a block down, more or less. She gave out a shrill whistle, and pointed right to inform her partners where to go. She took a sudden turn and leaped across the rooftops, listening for footsteps.

"YOU HALT! HALT OR I'LL SHOOT!" She heard a man say, then saw the glow of an alchemical reaction about a half a block from where she stood. She resumed running, hearing grunts of pain, and assumed that the loud men had been killed, and mentally thanked them. She heard the footsteps resume, and paused, waiting for the echo to alert her of the person's location.

She saw a couple more glows to the left, and estimated that that made at least 4 deaths now that she could add to her list of people she was too late to save.

"Water freezes, water boils, Either way you're just as dead." She heard from below her. She came to an abrupt halt and peered down, looking at the man who decided to take other's lives with his own hands.

She saw a flash of light and moved out of the way just in time for a spear to land square in front of the man. He leaped backwards and righted himself, his eyes widening a fraction. "That's alchemy…" He said as a blue spark trailed off of the spear.

_'Indeed.' _She thought, her smirk widening as she saw Edward step out of the shadows.

"That was a nasty thing to do." He said, stepping over the red and blistered hand of one of the dead.

"You of all people should know that great deeds require great sacrifices," The man said, an almost hungry grin breaking out on his face. "Isn't that the law of Equivalent Exchange?"

"Save your breath," The boy said, stepping fully into the light, fists clenched. ""The laws of Alchemy don't justify murder!" He shouted angrily. He clapped his hands together, and blue sparks glanced off of his gloves, lighting up the area around him as he picked up the spear and transmuted it into a spiked club.

"No transmutation circle…" The man gasped, and Ira grinned. That reaction never got boring, not once.

"Don't be too impressed.." Ed said as he leaned forward and charged. "NOW!"

Al appeared from behind him, blocking his escape with his intimidatingly large armored body. The man sucked in a breath and ducked as Al swung at him. The boy swung down with his club and hit the man's metal glove, creating a resounding tang of metal on metal. The man forced the club upwards and off of his chest. He front flipped, kicking Al in the head and stood to face Ed, His glove already guarding the club from touching his skin. He rested a hand on the boy's arm and activated a transmutation that sent them flying away from each other. The armored boy took the advantage to let his brother recover and drove his clasped fists down towards his exposed skull. The man blocked and flipped him in front of him, disorienting the other for a moment.

"I HAD YOU! ANY WATER THERE SHOULD HAVE BOILED!" He shouted. She smirked, this man had another thing coming if he thought the battle would go that smoothly.

The boy looked up, frowning. "If it's any consolation, you did ruin my coat." He said, standing up. The new rip in the bright red fabric of his coat revealed the glint of cold steel, an automail arm to replace the one he had lost.

"An automail arm…" He said, surprised.

_'Bingo'_ Ira thought incredulously. Ed ripped off his overcoat, leaving what was left of the black jacket. Him and Al stood together, and looked rather frightening in all their metallic glory.

"A young gifted alchemist.. One who doesn't use transmutation circles… And who has an automail right arm.." The man, looking at the arm in particular. "I know you, You are the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric."

Ira grinned and jumped down just as he opened his mouth to speak. He looked behind her and looked shocked. "And you're the Whiptail Alchemist, Ira Kenwood, though I'm afraid I don't see how either of your namesakes fit…" He paused to think, and She felt her pride slowly being chipped away. The man pointed at Alphonse, "So you're not the Fullmetal Alchemist?" he asked.

"Uh… no," he trailed off, bringing up a hand to scratch his head, "I'm his younger brother Alphonse.."

The man sweatdropped, "But he's a runt!"

Ed visibly grew angry, a tic mark appearing on his face. "OH YEAH CAN A RUNT DO THIS? " He screeched. Ira jumped back to narrowly avoid the reckless attack that the angry boy had onset.

"Watch it!" She hissed as a wall closed around the man's body, only revealing his face.

"I've heard the stories, but still, I never imagined this," The man said, even his voice sounding squished.

Ira clapped her hands together softly and uttered a soft "Activate" so as not to alert anyone of her transmutation. She felt a slight tingling as her ears and tail popped into place, and her only eye, which was previously deep blue, turned a vivid green. She hopped down next to Al, whipping her tail slightly to right herself. "Do you see now?" She asked in a slightly sarcastic and bored tone.

"The Fullmetal and Whiptail Alchemists are just little kids!" The man said, in his very odd sounding voice. Yes, Ira was pretty small for her age, about an inch or so smaller than Edward, but it had it's advantages. Ed transmuted an arm that swatted the man away, and Edward looked at the falling man, seething with rage at being called short.

"You know brother, I don't think he was really talking about your height just now…" Al said, slightly worried.

Ed froze, "WELL EVEN IF HE WASN'T HE STILL PISSED ME OFF!" He screeched again as Ira breathed out a sigh of relief, releasing the control that she had maintained for her tired body to maintain its form.

"So you're the ones we've been hearing all the stories about lately? The Fullmetal and Whiptail Alchemists!" Said a man who by my definition, was way too cheery to be working on a murder case. I pulled my black trench coat closer to my body as I looked back and forth,waiting for this to be over so we could catch our train and I could try to sleep for a few hours.

"You're as good as they say, thanks for the help!" The man says again, and I walk back through the alley, leaving Al to explain how he really was only the younger brother, and leaned against a wall behind Edward while he repaired his coat.

"There!" He said, pulling it onto one arm. We walked out of the alley and he turned to Al, "Come on, let's get going Al!" He said, dragging me by the hand out of the Alley, "We got a train to catch!"

"Oh, ok?" Al said as he walked along next to Edward and I, us all keeping a companionable silence. "Um, if you think it's alright to leave…"

I heard a crash behind me and turned, just seconds before Ed did. A sudden glare of light and wave of steam covered the alley in a thick blanket of white.

Ed and I started coughing as he said, "What is that? Steam?"

"Brother, He's gone!" All said, alerting the both of us that the man we had wasted so much of our time (Time that could have been well spent traveling to Liore) had just escaped right in front of our eyes.

"Dammit, now he's really pissed me off!" Ed exclaimed, observing the alley for anything that might give away his escape. My eyes caught sight of a pair of broken handcuffs, and I knew they were his.

"Looks like you underestimated your opponent Fullmetal." Said Mustang, personally addressing Edward, as after all, the was the sole one who received the assignment. I may be a state Alchemist, but I'm not given many direct orders being that I've made it quite clear that I only work with the two idiots I call partner's, nobody else.

"So who is this guy anyway?" Ed asked, sullen.

"You'd know that if you'd listened to the briefing like I told you to." Mustang said. My shoulders started to shake with laughter when I saw Ed tense up and look away, "But no, You had to go charging in right after-"

"Yeah, Yeah I get it." Ed interrupted, putting his hands up, "Alright, sorry. K whatever." He retorted.

Mustang smirked, "The, next time a superior tells you to pay attention you might just try it." He sneered.

"Uh, fine." Edward mumbled, looking down.

"Now then, His name is Isaac McDougal, or as he was known back in the day, Isaac the Freezer. He's a former State Alchemist." Said Mustang as he folded his hands and rested his chin upon them.

"Former?" Ed asked, not looking at Mustang. He stood, and walked away from his chair to the right. "That's right. He served in the Ishvalan war. During that time, He gave us no signs that he had turned traitor," Mustang looked out the window into the late night outside "But after, he immediately resigned his commission and went into hiding. He's been working with the anti-establishment ever since." He turned his head to us from the window. "Taking him into custody is a matter of top priority. Whether it's dead or alive, that's up to him."

Ed turned himself forward again, "No way, I'm not killing anyone for you." He said softly.

"And that's your choice. Your orders are to simply help us contain him. That's all." Edward's head turned back around to see Mustang looking at him from beside the window. Mustang and him seemed to look at eachother for a while before Mustang looked away, smirking. "Off topic question, have you turned up any leads for getting your bodies back to normal?"

Ed's face grew surprised, then irritated, "Maybe if you ever gave us time to look!" he yelled across the room at the smiling Colonel.

The door busted open, "Roy! How goes? Heard they put you in charge of catching The Freezer huh? That's one hell of a nasty assignment, but hey, it could be your chance to earn that promotion to Central!" The man said, standing in the doorway smiling obnoxiously. "Oh hey! Looks like my timing was perfect! You 3 are the Elric brothers and Ira right?"

"Huh?" Ed, Al, and I all asked, sweat dropping.

He shook both of Al's hands rapidly, "It's an honor to finally meet the youngest 2 state alchemists ever! Your a real legend around here!" As Al got more and more flustered, Ed got more and more irritated, and sitting right next to him, it made me a bit worried for my safety. "I'm Lieutenant Maes Hughes, a pleasure!" He said, addressing the last part at me.

Al stilled his hands, "Uh, you want Edward, I'm actually his younger brother, Alphonse." He said, releasing Hughes' grip.

Hughes threw his hands up and looked at Ed, "WHAT? Your the Fullmetal Alchemist?" He asked, surprised. "Sorry, I had no idea you'd be so-"

At this point Hughes went silent but I could practically hear Ed's thoughts.

"Hughes." Mustang called out, miffed.

"Yeah." he replied, looking up.

"What are you doing here? Go home." He stated bluntly.

"Actually, I'm here on official business." He said, putting his hands on his hips. "You, Elrics, Ira, I understand that you 3 don't have a place to stay. Which means you'll have to come with me." We all sat there looking puzzled at him until he pulled out a picture. "My wife Gracia and daughter Elicia, We'd love to have you!" He said, holding up the picture and pointing.

A small girl looked up at me while her father gushed over her, kneeling down and holding her. "Hi princess!"

"Ow! Daddy your beard is itchy!"

"Like this? Itchy, Itchy!" He said between laughs. We (All, Ed, and I) all kinda sat there in the hallway, Ed and I each carrying a suitcase full of out clothes and other items. "Look! We have guests!" Hughes exclaimed, standing up. "These are the Elric Brothers, and their friend Ira!"

The little girl (Elicia I would presume) put a finger up to her chin and pointed to Alphonse, "Big brother," she then pointed to Ed, "Little brother." I couldn't hold it in any longer and slid down to the floor, laughing.

Ed glared at me and said with his eye twitching, "Nice to meet you," He pointed at himself, "My name is Edward Elric. This is my younger brother, Alphonse Elric." He then pointer to Al. "Get that? YOUNGER brother." He mumbled, shaking his fist.

"But younger means little, your little." Al grabbed the enraged older Elric and left me outside to try to compose myself from the onslaught of amusing comments.

"Let it go Ed." Al tried to say over Edward's gripeing, "These people are being nice and letting us stay here.

"I hope you all are hungry, Gracia's cooking is delicious!" I heard Hughes say as I sat down at the table. Edward looked at the quiche in the middle of the table, and thought of his height chased out by the sight of the dish. "Well go ahead, eat up!

"Thanks!" Ed said as he started eating. I personally don't eat much, so I only cut a small sliver of quiche and nibbled on it. Wow! You weren't kidding this is great!" He exclaimed with a mouthful.

"Don't be shy, eat all you want!" Gracia said.

"Thanks!"

I saw Hughes look at Al and stopped looking frustrated at the large slice of quiche that Ed had unceremoniously dumped on my plate and told me i had to eat for a moment. "Alphonse, how are you gonna eat with that armour on, Take it off, relax!"

I tensed up and looked at Al. "Well.. you see..." I trailed off.

"He has to wear it all the time! It's part of his alchemy training, You know how it is! I'll eat enough for both of us." Ed covered nervously.

"Train, Choo-Choo!"

"Hand's down that has to be the funniest joke I've heard in a long long time." A voice rasped from a prison cell. "The Freezing Alchemist wants me to come play his sidekick… As fun as that sounds, The Crimson Alchemist works alone, I always have."

"Kimblee…" Isaac stated, "If we work together we can bring down Bradley, AND his god forsaken military. You saw the horrors that took place in Ishval, you were there dammit! You know the things Bradley ordered us to do, the kind of man he really is! That's why you killed all those officers isn't it?" His eyes never left the door of the cell. "To send them a message."

"I think you got me all wrong," The man laughed, throwing his hands apart as much as the shackles would allow. "My motives aren't so sophisticated as revenge or honor or any of that." He looked down at his bound hands, "The reason I killed all of those men was because I could. It's that simple."

Isaac's eyes widened a fraction. "Hm, Thats too bad Kimblee, that truly is too bad…" His footsteps could be heard echoing as he left the cell. "Keep up the good work." He grumbled as he pushed over the frozen man guarding the door, smashing him to bits.

"Maes dear, what's wrong? Can't sleep?" Gracia Hughes walked across the living room and she sat next to her husband.

"Guess not.."

"I know what's in that head of yours. You're worrying about those kids aren't you?" She said, referring to Ed, Al, and Ira who were sleeping in another room.

"You do know what they call state alchemists right? The dogs of the military." He said, leaning back, "Not exactly the most popular bunch. I just try to imagine enduring that at their age." He closed his eyes. Gracia just looked at the man and smiled.

I sat on the bed closest to the window, Al was seated at the foot of the bed, and Edward was in the bed to the right of me. "Brother." Al said, causing Ed and I to look at him, "You awake?" He asked. "Miss Gracie's quiche," He said, looking at Edward, "It looked alot like mom's huh?" He asked, and I could practically see the quiche. I will admit, the small bit I did eat was pretty amazing.

"Yeah, and almost as good too." Ed stated.

I heard Al shift as he got his notebook out, "In that case, I'm definitely adding it to the list of things I'm gonna eat when I get my body back!" He said excitedly, scribbling in a couple words on the page.

"Right! Put it on there, right near the top!" Said Ed, smiling.

"Brother." Al said.

"Hm?"

"I sure would like to get our old bodies back soon…" Al said, putting his book away. My heart wrenched with that comment, I had always found Al to be such a good person, even before he lost his body, and I felt bad that he wasn't able to have the luxury of having a body, even if Ed and I were in pieces.

"I know, me too." Stated Ed.

The man finished drawing a circle, and stood up to inspect his handiwork. "One more." He said, "One more and Führer Bradley is on his way to hell."

"We have a confirmed report that McDougal broke into central prison last night." Mustang stormed down a hallway, "Whatever he's up to, he's growing bold. That means our time is short." He paused, "Close off all roads, Search every square inch of the city. When you find him, shoot on sight. That is an order from The Führer himself." He stepped into the daylight, pulling on an ignition glove, "But if I find him first, He's mine."

"GET A MEDIC!" shouted a soldier as Ed, Al, and I looked at the gruesome sight, "HURRY!"

"Report to Headquarters, 5 men dead!" Another shouted as he ran behind us.

"Looks like a steam explosion." I said, looking at the blistered and red body of a dead soldier, "Raise the temperature of water fast enough-"

"And It expands with the force of a bomb blast. The human body is 70% water." Ed finished for me. I looked over at him, "Let's hurry, we have to find him before he hurts anyone else." He said as he started walking down the street. I nodded, and leaped up to the roof, keeping pace much like I had the night before.

I heard an explosion and saw that it looked suspiciously like dust and Water mixed together, and paused in my running. Ed and Al saw it too, as they stopped and looked at the cloud behind us. We started running towards the area, and I leaped across the street of officers and onto the roof above where the explosion occurred.

"MAJOR!" Al exclaimed, running up with Edward behind Isaac. The man threw a canteen and I ducked behind the gutter after I saw blue transmutation sparks appear, and steam not long after clouded my vision.

I heard the clink of armor as I presume Al pulled Edward closer to shield him from the steam. I heard footsteps and stood up, "I'm going after him! I won't let him escape twice!" I shouted down to the brothers. Without waiting for a reply, I jumped across the alley, running parallel to the street once more.

"It's been a long time, Freezer." Isaac turned to the voice that addressed him, and saw Colonel Mustang.

"Well, Roy Mustang, heh, so the Flame Alchemist came out to play." He said, turning fully to the younger man.

"You can make this easy on both of us, I'd rather not fight an old war buddy." Said Mustang.

"War buddy? Please don't flatter yourself," Isaac continued, turning back to the city. "I knew no friends in Ishval, ONLY MILITARY BASTARDS AND THEIR DAMN DOGS!" A snap could be heard as a flame sprung to life, aimed right at Isaac. The man countered with a wall of water from the pipe below him, and grimaced. He slammed his palm down on the pipe once more and fountained water on Mustang and his men. "When water meets flame," He said as he started running, "The flame goes out!"

He created a bridge using the water that he had ravaged the roof with, and once he was on the other side, destroyed the bridge and let the water fall to the ground.

I had seen the explosion, and knew where The Freezer had gone to. I whistled and motioned towards the direction of the flames, indicating our target, and ran.

"Still there! Perfect!" The man exclaimed as I looked down at him from the roof, I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Stop right there!" I heard Ed shout. "I was wondering what you were doing in this alley so I came back to check it out, and bingo!"

The man started laughing as he stood, "There's nowhere to run this time!" Al said as he blocked the other side of the alley.

"Clearly," The man said, looking at All, "But who's running?" After that, a bright red light appeared from beneath him, and I shielded my eyes. I looked out and all across the city tendrils of red light dotted the sky like beacons.

As Ed stood there in shock, I clapped my hands and muttered a small "Activate." My tail swished as I crouched down again, waiting for my moment to leap down.

"An alchemical reaction, on this scale.." I heard Ed trail off, and I narrowed my eyes, thinking about what Edward was getting on at.

"Impossible.. unless.." Al muttered, looking at his brother. "You don't thinks he's-"

Ed turned to face Isaac, "A Philosophers Stone!" He said, excitedly grinning.

I frowned as the light that was red turned blue, and the air temperature dropped noticeably. The air seemed to pull at my trench coat and it chilled my automail slightly. I shuddered and looked back down. _'He's freezing all the moisture in the air' _I thought, and Ed seemed to share my thought, voicing it out loud.

"Edward Elric," Ed looked up, "You've sworn your life to the state as a dog of the military," He drew a breath, "But, do you know the ones you serve and what their true plans are?"

"Who cares?" Ed said, grimacing, "It's not my problem!"

"Don't be a fool! He'll lead us all to ruin I'm only doing what needs to be done!"

"I TOLD YOU I DON'T CARE!" As he said that, Al came vaulting over the ice wall and behind the man. He swung a punch at the man, then kicked him.

When Ed jumped out of the way to let the man fly past him, I took it as my cue to reveal myself. I leaped down in front of the man who had crashed into the railing in front of a river. "Alright! Nice work you two!" I said, popping a few knuckles and whipping my tail.

"We still have to stop his Alchemy!" Said Al as I looked down at the man from a distance.

"I know, So where is it?" Ed asked, walking forward a few steps to stand beside me. "You have a Philosopher's Stone don't you?"

The man smirked, "What are you talking about?" The man tilted his head.

"I won't ask again, WHERE IS IT?" Ed yelled, leaning forward." My ears swiveled backward, and my tail twitched, I didn't really like loud noises, even without the enhanced hearing.

"And what are you gonna do boy?" She man asked, sitting up a fraction. "YOUR OUTTA YOUR LEAGUE!" The man yelled as the river that was previously just a normal river, grew into a large ice wall. Isaac grabbed the railing just before it was dragged up to the top by the ever growing wall.

Ed, Al and I made an educated decision, and ran for our lives, struggling to stay in front of the wall's progress. "STAND BACK AND BE PREPARED FOR A DISPLAY OF ARMSTRONG ALCHEMY!" Exclaimed Armstrong, bracing himself.

"He's all your's Major!" Ed said, running past him and sliding to a halt behind him.

"Witness the alchemic art, passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" He shouted, and struck the wall. It halted for a moment, then swerved to the left, breaking a hole in the building. "Well that's unexpected…" He trailed off as people ran, screaming.

"THE HECK ARE YOU DOING? YOU MAKING IT WORSE!" Ed yelled, throwing his arms up.

"I was merely-" He was interrupted as a resounding crash could be heard a few blocks behind us.

"The ice wall!" Al said as we turned to look at the second one now forming.

"Their merging…" Ed said

"But, that would mean-" Al was cut off.

"If they all meet in the middle, aw dammit it's Central Command!" Ed exclaimed as I looked away from the wall. "He's gonna freeze it over!"

"Come on, let's go." I said as I ascended onto the roofs again, this time not alone.

"Führer King Bradley, for your cold blooded crimes in Ishval I condemn you to a frozen hell." Said Isaac as he stood on the end on the Ice wall.

"NOT SO FAST!" Ed exclaimed as he and Al used alchemy to get on top of the massive wall, while I just took a flying leap and dug my sharpened automail fingers into the hard ice, dragging my body onto the top.

I stood up as he tried to destroy the ice between us, but Ed countered with the same attack. The man went flying and launched a piece of melted ice that when it hit us was boiling water.

The man leaped back at us, and as I backflipped away Al dragged Edward out of danger. "BROTHER-"

"To slow!" The man said as he brought a hand up to Al's head, knocking it off. I picked it up and threw it back to Ed, who had just recovered from him and All falling to the ground.

"There's no-one in there, It's completely empty!" The man exclaimed, looking shocked. "But that.. that can only be true if his soul was bonded to the armour." He squinted at the three of us, "So you lost your arm, and your brother, he lost his entire body.." He smiled and looked up, "I see, it all makes sense, YOU FOOLS COMMITTED THE ULTIMATE TABOO!" As he said this, I could feel my eye widen a fraction, "YOU ATTEMPTED HUMAN TRANSMUTATION, DIDN'T YOU? ALCHEMY'S ONE AND ONLY UNFORGIVABLE SIN!"

My smirk at his realisation faded as I remembered:

_Flash Back_

_"NO, PLEASE!" My tiny left arm was hanging limply at my side, useless without the shoulder bones to lift it. I only knew this by my making an attempt to, but only achieved in moving the fingers thanks to the tendons that were still present. My eyes were gone, leaving only blank sockets that bled as I cried. I snarled, "NO, NOT LIKE THIS! I WON'T END LIKE THIS!" _

_I grabbed the piece of chalk that I had settled next to me at the beginning of the ordeal, and drew a transmutation circle. I slapped my now red and bloody palm to the circle and screamed with pain as what was my left leg disappeared in favor of giving me sight. Once I could see again, I noticed that for all I had sacrificed, that thing in front of me was not human, let alone the sister that I had once knew. I blinked, but only one eye co-operated. I then realised that the transmutation that took my leg all the way up to my knee had only given me one eye, and sealed up the other socket._

_End_

As I came back to the world of the living from my nightmarish memory, I had just enough time to see Ed strike the man in the stomach, then his head, knocking him to the ground. Isaac tried to transmute spikes to give himself recovery time, but Al stepped forward and broke them, kicking him off the wall. I, needless to say, was still in shock from the memory that, even though it bounced through my head often as I slept, still startled me. He crashed to the ground, and I didn't snap out of my daze until I saw the brothers slide down the wall. I shook my head and followed close behind.

"Give it up! There's no water for you to use here!" Ed said as I stumbled to a halt next to him and Al.

Isaac looked up, and grinned. "You've forgotten something, I have all the water I need, 70% of my body!" Edward flinched as if he had been struck, and my eyes widened with realization as I prepared to run.

I did a few backflips away from the stream of blood, getting me out of the line of fire. Ed wasn't so lucky, but then again, neither was I. In my hurry to get back, I had twisted my ankle (The one made of flesh and bone) and was currently on the ground, holding my ankle in pain.

"ED!" Alphonse exclaimed, Throwing his arm down and breaking the frozen blood.

The man stood up, "Why can't you fools understand? I'm trying to save this country!" I heard a crash as the walls met, freezing the area around us. The man stumbled off, laughing crazily.

"Brother, Brother!" Al said, trying to get Ed to respond.

I stood up in time to hear Ed mutter, "Come on, we're going after him." He grunted as he removed the remaining shard of ice from his shoulder. "I'm not done, not even close."

I stood, panting alongside Ed as we looked upon the scene. I was leaned against him and vice versa. "Führer Bradley, you're here?"

The man turned fully towards us, this face twisting into a smile. "Yes, job well done Fullmetal, Whiptail," He nodded in our direction twice, indicating Ed and myself. "I came to see if I could lend a hand, and to think that I'd be the one to catch him! If nothing else this should make an exciting story for my son!"

Ed, Al, and I sat in a hospital room, Ed and I in beds and Al in a chair between them. The clothes we wore showed off Ed and my automail arms, and my shoulders, as well as I could feel the coolness of my leg under the thin sheets. "You know, we never did find out if he had a Philosopher's Stone." Al said, facing Ed.

"No but-" He sighed, "Maybe it'll say something in the official report." He said, shrugging. The door opened, and I opened my eye to see who was there.

"Greetings Edward Elric, when I heard you were in the hospital, I DASHED RIGHT OVER!" Exclaimed the overly muscled man who stood at the door. I groaned, and laid my head back down. "As I suspected," He put down the bundle of flowers he had been carrying, "Your in desperate need of my assistance." He said as he removed his shirt. I closed my eyes, hearing the screeches of the frightened brothers. "YOU NEED THE EXAMPLE OF A PERFECT PHYSICAL SPECIMEN TO INSPIRE YOUR RECOVERY!" he exclaimed as I heard the shirt drop to the floor, "You see? You're looking livelier already!"

"WOULD YOU GET OUT?!" Screeched Edward, but all the man did was laugh.

"Ah, so I see Isaac's dead is he? That's a shame, I had such high hopes for him too." Said a woman into a receiver, "But, the Philosopher's Stone.. hm, sounds like he overused it." She said smirking.

The savage chomps and swallows of another could be heard next to her and she put down the phone for a moment, "Gluttony, Try to chew quietly I'm on the phone." She said as she extended the phone back to her ear. "Yes, things are going well here in Liore. I'll be ready, It all begins **very** soon."

_

Well hey! So I've been pretty inactive (Please forgive me .-.) and I've sorted some things out in my life, and so I'm gonna use you all and ask for your opinions on my new writing. I'm gonna follow the anime, and actually try to keep with a plot-line and a once a week update schedule. It's very strange that a 30 min. episode takes 2 days to rewrite, and edit! For people wondering, the chapter is 5770 words long (18 pages according to Quotev), and I used Google Docs to edit and such! Love you all and don't forget to comment, heart, and follow for more stuff!

Stay safe and happy!  
>Ira~<p> 


	2. The First Day

_Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange._

_

"Brother."

"Hm?"

"The stories about this priest in Liore, do you think they're true?"

Ed put two fingers up to his temples, a slight frown on his face. "The ones about his miracles? They say he can transmute flowers out of thin air, right? Could be slight of hand, some cheap trick like that."

The large suit of armor seated next to Ed looked down at him. "But…what if they're not?" He questioned.

"Right…" The boy said, grinning slightly. "If it's not then I suppose all that leaves is the real thing, huh?"

The boys paused in their conversation and looked at their traveling partner, who was seated across from them. Ira's long black hair was left down, as it usually was, and she wore a loose black trench coat, not unlike Ed's. The only thing to signify that she was alive was the small rise and fall of her chest.

"I guess she fell asleep huh?" Said Al, shifting slightly in his seat.

"Well, she was pretty tired, then we got pulled out for that Freezer mission…" He paused, smiling at her sleeping form. "I'm just surprised she didn't pass out transmuting to be honest."

There was a lull in the conversation as they looked at the sleeping girl. "Al?"

"Yeah?" The younger boy replied, looking at his brother again.

"I think I have a good feeling about this one." He said, looking at All for the first time.

"Hm…me too."

_Ira's Dream_

"You stupid child 111, you don't draw the circle like that!" A scientist explained to me, drawing a near perfect circle next to me. "There, now try again, and get it right!"

To be honest, I had known how to do this for almost the entire class, but I was doing what I was trained to do, put yourself in other's shoes. Understand your prey, and they will never escape. The man was obviously in his late 30's early 40's, and I would guess had no children, or he probably would have less time and more patience. Never the less, I drew the circle as prompted, and then drew a complicated matrix inside, one I had memorized from a book I had picked up. The man gasped, but I didn't react as I rested my palms on the chalk circle and allowed myself a small victory swish of my tail. You see, I had no name, to everyone else, I was Experiment No. 111, or 111 for short. My twin sister and I, we had never had names, let alone family or friends. All we ever knew in this savage world was eachother.

Her number was 112 despite her being the older twin. The reasoning is that well, My parents were fools. They let the scientists tamper with my genes in the womb, and my sister's when she was born. In exchange for our lives, theirs would be spared. An equivalent exchange no? Well, they were killed, and my sister and I were damned from the start.

My genes, were altered with that of a panther's, but something went wrong, and for many years I had difficulties with my health. As the smaller, younger twin, they expected as much, but as we got older and my sister, who was considered a success for her swift growth and immune health, was separated from me for long periods of time so as not to have my death influence her had I died.

As it turned out, I got better, and I was allowed to see my sister regularly for the first time in all of my life. I excelled in schooling and strategy, while she was considered "brawn" and would leave for extended intervals of time to train.

As we aged, differences in our bodies became apparent, and It wasn't just because of our different chemical make-up. She was taller, and had broader shoulders. (Due to the fact that she was grafted with a lion the scientists said) She had long, thick light brown hair, and almost golden eyes. I was of a smaller "petite" build, lithe as they liked to call it. (I'm short, there's no point denying it.) I had long black hair, and blue eyes. There were strange black tattoos, that flowed and swirled from my left hip across my back, and around my torso to about reach my collar bone. I had no say in the markings, nor did the scientists. It had been there since birth, and they just considered it to be part of the genes. I, unlike my sister, could turn into 4 forms, rather than just Human and a "half-shift" form. I could transform into a domestic cat, and a panther, but these forms took up an immense amount of energy and caused vast amounts of pain to succeed

The scientist was delighted when out of my small transmutation circle, came a small stone dagger. "111, have you been hiding something?" He asked, almost grinning like he had discovered gold.

"No sir, I am only using what I've memorized." I answered emotionlessly.

"Hm." he said as he walked out. "You may return to your room now 111."

As I was saying earlier, my sister and I were different. I, unlike my sister, wanted a real name, and to see the thing that the books had called the "sun." She, followed the scientists, receiving rewards and orders like an obedient dog. But one day, she collapsed, and started coughing blood. I sat next to her, and screamed for help, losing the emotionless facade I had worked for so long to procure around myself for a moment. The scientists helped her recover, but even I could sense that her body, the one that had been praised for so long because of it's immense power, was finally rejecting its animal counterpart.

"111" I looked up to see who had addressed, then stood to face one of the head scientists. "You are to accompany me to room 115 immediately, that is an order." He said as he grabbed my small bruised arm. I was dragged to the room, and thousands of things raced through my head, but the only thing that betrayed the turmoil in my mind was the ever so slight bend in my tail, that easily could be mistaken for irritation at my studying being interrupted, as I had a reputation of being extremely angry and vicious, not unlike my animal counterpart.

I saw my sister standing in the empty room, and as I stepped in, the door shut and locked, an audible click echoing through the room for a moment. "What is this?" I asked, my tone even.

"This?" A man stepped out of the shadows from where I had scented him. "This is a purging, Bloodletting if you will." he said with a smirk, pulling out a gun from within the pocket of his coat.

My eyes widened, and I gasped, I had assumed they were going to kill me, as I was too "scrawny" to ever be useful.

My eyes bored holes into the man as he pointed his gun to me. "Any last words?" He sneered.

"Why?" I said. "Why would I have any last words to the people that had damned me from the start. I was dead before I was even born."

The man's grin grew wider, if that was even possible. He looked at my sister, and swung the gun towards her. "Wrong answer." he said as he shot her. Right through the eye.

I sunk to my knees and gathered her head in my lap. She wore a sad smile on her face, and her body twitched a couple times, but she was already dead. I closed my eyes, and felt myself change, but this time, it took no energy, and the pain was all consuming. It was like a fire had consumed my body, and there was nothing I could do to smother the inferno, and in that instant, I felt what I suppose one could call an "ah-ha" moment, but there was no conclusion, only the express feeling of clarity. And after that fleeting second, it was gone, and so was I.

When I awoke again, my clothes were covered in soot, and my hands were caked with dirt, and reeked of blood. My small eyes blinked (As I was only 8) at the sudden light, and shock of the outdoors. I almost didn't see the blazing fire what was the lab I had grown up in.

I looked down at my hands, and for the first time in all of my life, broke down. I cried for what felt like days, cried for all of the years of pain, suffering and death the hell had put me through, and found myself passed out from exhaustion.

When I woke up next, I was where I was before. The fire was out, and the sun was shining. I struggled to my feet, and looked down the hill that the building had once rested upon. A river flowed near-by, so I hiked towards it, grinning at all the things I had only imagined about.

When I arrived I first washed my hands, then myself. I then took a long drink from the river once I was sure the water was clear of filth, and rested on the bank a moment.

Weeks later, out of options and out of energy, I started to beg in the streets of a town I do not remember the name of. I first recieved a few small coins, and bought myself some bread. I scarfed it down and had felt much better, so I went scavenging through the city for something that could help me receive more money. I came upon a woman whose carriage wheel had broken. So I kneeled down, and drew a transmutation circle. I repaired the wheel, and silently stood up, looking at the lady to see if she was ok. She grinned wildly and didn't let me leave her sight until I had taken payment. So I did, and scampered off, thinking about my new skill. Needless to say, I continued doing odd jobs around the city, and had gained quite the reputation for being a helper as long as I could get a hot meal or a night's rest.

I don't believe I mentioned the nightmares. The better term would probably be night terrors, but it's just a technicality. They would happen every night, nearly without fail. I would wake up screaming and flailing my arms, and I wouldn't remember the dream until a few hours later. The dreams were horrifying, and differed every night. They could be dreams one night, and memories the next. I never knew, and the thought of sleeping terrified me.

As it turned out, the Ishvalan war affected me too. My town that I had come to love was torched to the ground, and I ran away, feeling yet again like I had turned my back on the souls of the dead. I ran, for days and days. Until I came upon a house, let out a sigh and collapsed.

When I woke up, I was in a bed. I sat there for a second, puzzled, until a girl that looked to be my age spoke up. "My Granny found you passed out outside. Are you ok? Where are your parents?" She asked, looking at me from a chair beside the bed.

I calmly looked at her, then the ceiling again. "I am fine, and my parents have been dead ever since I was born." I replied in a bored tone, sighing.

"Well then, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here with us." Another voice said. I snapped my head to the side to see a short, old woman. I sat up, and threw my legs over the side of the bed. "My name is Pinako, but call me Granny if you please." She said, walking over to a table a few feet away.

"I'm Winry!" The girl said to me, smiling. "So who are you?" She asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I-I'm" I had to pause a second, I had never had a name, but I knew 111 was not an acceptable answer. I put my head down.

"What's wrong?" The woman asked, bringing a stethoscope to my chest, "Don't have a name?"

I nodded, then breathed out a small laugh. "Yes, that does appear to be the problem." I said, smiling bitterly.

She shifted in her seat, and Pinako stiffened, but carried on anyways. "Did you go by anything special, maybe a nickname or so?"

I sighed. "No, unless you want to call 111 a nickname."

She smiled a bit, then put away her stethoscope. "Well, What do you think would be a good name for yourself? Most people don't get to choose a name for themselves, but you have the chance."

I sat there, stunned into silence. I hadn't thought of that, and was shocked to say the least.

"Well, I can remember someone saying my parent's name was Kenwood…" I trailed off, thinking. I had heard many names, but I had never liked one. "Ira." I said, surprising myself. The name had just sprung from me, but I liked it. It suited me. "Ira Kenwood…"

"That sounds like an amazing name!" Said Winry, smiling broadly. I gave a weak grin back, and stood up.

"Hold it!" The woman said, pushing my small frame back onto the mattress. "Your staying here! After all of that, your new home is here!" She said as I sat there, dumbfounded.

"O-ok." I stuttered.

"Good, now sit there while Winry and I start dinner." She said as her and the girl walked out of the and closed the door with a small click. I sighed and layed back once more, feeling around the side table without looking over. I sighed, and looked over, seeing my small leatherbound book.

'There's still something missing' I thought, looking through the notes again. 'There has to be a point I'm not connecting, a theory I'm not understanding.' I thought as I sighed.

Over the next few months, Pinako nursed me back to health, allowing me to help and go outside to train in the yard or chop wood. As I got better, I read more books. I read all the books I could get my hands on, and borrowed a few from some of Winry's friends who had left to train with a teacher. Until one day, on the outer edge of a forest, I did it.

"Finished." I said as I put down my pen, grinning. I grabbed a pan and started to recite out loud, "Water, 35 litres. Carbon, 20kg. Ammonia, 4 litres. Lime, 1.5kg. Phosphorus, 800g. Salt, 250 g. Niter, 100g. Sulphur, 80g. Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g. Silicon 3g. And fifteen other minor elements." I began to draw the immense circle on the raised ground where I planned to bring back the dead. I walked up to the metal tin that contained my soon to be sister, "Now for some soul data." I muttered as I slashed my wrist open, and a spurt of blood fell on the pile. I stopped the blood flow and stepped back. I clapped my hands onto the circle, then waited.

As the circle activated, I felt an almost vicious quality added to the air. I shivered with fright as a single eye opened up in the middle, and looked right at me. As soon as I looked into its pupil, I saw no more, and pain blossomed across my face. I felt a harsh burning erupt along my shoulders, and like my eyes, they were no more. I made an attempt to move my right fingers, as lifting the arm was a fruitless task with no shoulders. I discovered, that whatever had taken my eyes, and my shoulders, had seen the irony and taken my right arm as well. I felt myself, not just my body but my_self_ being sucked into a void, and I felt like I was falling.

Then suddenly, It was all white as I stumbled out of a door. I turned around a couple of times, and noticed my tail swishing behind me. "And just where have I landed myself this time…" I mutter.

"Hello" A voice called, and I looked towards it.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The faceless being threw up its hands, seemingly overjoyed I'd asked a question. "I am Truth, God, I am the Universe, I am One, I am All, and I am also You." it said, pointing at me." The answer threw me a bit, and I heard a gate slam open behind me. "You have dared knock at the door, and now it's open."

My eyes widened as I turned to see the eye again. I felt the odd little hands pulling at my clothes (A dark t shirt and pants, I was lazy that morning.)and I was sucked in. I did nothing to fight it, and it felt as if all of the knowledge in the world was being poured into my head, and I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

The moment I cried out from the pain, I felt it. That same moment of clarity that I had felt all those months ago. The white light shined once more, and I reached out, hoping to understand what I was experiencing.

Then as suddenly as this had all started, it all stopped, and I was back in that room with the strange being that I had nicknamed "It." The thing stood up as I stood in a daze. "Well? How was it?" it said, grinning.

"What's the catch?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

"What do you mean?" It asked, seeming surprised that I had asked a question such as that.

"Alchemy got me here, and the base principle of that is Equivalent Exchange. So I'll ask again, What do I give in exchange for what you have given?" I said, my small hands shaking slightly with fear.

It grinned. "You sure do catch on quickly." It said as It reached out it's arm. As it did so, My arm disappeared, and I watched in sick fascination as what once were my shoulders, and arm appeared on the strange things body. As I felt my eyesight fade, so did the feeling of the strange place, and all of the sudden I was consumed with pain.

'NO, PLEASE!" My tiny left arm was hanging limply at my side, useless without the shoulder bones to lift it. I only knew this by my making an attempt to, but only achieved in moving the fingers thanks to the tendons that were still present. My eyes were gone, leaving only blank sockets that bled as I cried. I snarled, "NO, NOT LIKE THIS! I WON'T END LIKE THIS!"

I grabbed the piece of chalk that I had settled next to me at the beginning of the ordeal, and drew a transmutation circle. I slapped my now red and bloody palm to the circle and screamed with pain as what was my left leg disappeared in favor of giving me sight. Once I could see again, I noticed that for all I had sacrificed, that **thing** in front of me was not human, let alone the sister that I had once knew. I blinked, but only one eye co-operated. I then realised that the transmutation that took my leg all the way up to my knee had only given me one eye, and sealed up the other socket.

I heard the thump of my body hitting the ground vaguely as I passed out. I barely felt someone pick me up and carry me away, murmuring things that were lost to my ears as everything faded to black.

"Roy! Hey your still in central?"

"For now anyway. They're shipping me back to Eastern Command this afternoon." Said the Colonel as he stood in the doorway of Hughes' office.

"Well now, aren't you the lucky one? Next time you come here I expect you to have made Brigadier General, You got that?" He said, pointing and winking at Mustang.

"Easy for you to say…" He mumbled, stepping forward towards the desk.

Maes laughed. "Oh, by the way. If you're leaving I'll go ahead and give this to you." He said, stand in up while raising a clipboard in his hand.

"What is it?"

"Something you might find interesting. The final report on Isaac McDougal." He replied, holding out the report for the other man to take. "I'm guessing it hasn't reached your office yet."

"No." Mustang grabbed it, flipping it so he could see the sheet. His eyes scanned the page a moment. "Xingese Alkahestry, what's that?" He asked, staring puzzled at the paper.

"Apparently that's something they have." Said Hughes as he looked up. "To be honest no idea. You don't know it?" He replied, chuckling.

"No, It's the first I've heard of it." he said, looking down once more.

"So, How are the Elrics and Ira doing? Are you keeping them out of trouble?" Maes asked, falling into step behind Roy.

"I'm their commanding officer, not their father…"

"Hey," Hughes said, looking down. "Tell me something Roy. Why did you decide to make Ed and Ira state alchemists anyway? They're just kids. I mean, military life isn't easy ya know? Those kids are gonna have to do through hell someday. You and I have certainly seen our share.

Mustang waved to his friend and stepped down the stairs. _'Hell huh? Oh they've seen hell, and plenty of it...'_

When I woke up, the first thing I took note of was that I wasn't alone in the room, and this time I didn't know who was next to me.

"Hello?" I asked, startling the two boys out of whatever conversation they were having in the corner.

They jumped, then rushed to my bedside. "Hi! I'm Edward Elric!" One said, and I took note of his slightly darker golden hair. "A-and I'm his younger brother, Alphonse Elric!" The other, with shorter hair, added.

My eyes widened. These were the friends of Winry's that have been off studying for all this time. I smiled weakly. "I'm Ira, Ira-"

"Kenwood! We know!" Edward said, and grinned widely at me.

"... What happened to me?!" I shouted as I went to run my shoulder, and found it was made of metal. He scratched his head, and let out a small, strangled chuckle.

"Well-"

"We found you nearly bleeding half to death in the forest, what did you do?" I heard Pinako's familiar voice as she walked into the room. It was my turn to chuckle nervously.

"In any event, We took the opportunity of you being passed out to give you automail shoulders, to allow you to function your left arm there." I made a closed fist as she said, grateful for my new appendages. "But, we couldn't connect an arm or a leg due to the fact that we need you conscious to connect the nerves properly." She continued, blowing a smoke ring from her pipe.

I looked down at my lap, I wasn't sure if I wanted those limbs, I mean, this was my punishment for playing God, and trying to resurrect the dead, but that didn't make me a bad person right? All I wanted was to have the one person that ever loved me in this cruel world back. I just wanted to see her smile again…

"You don't need to make the decision to get automail today Ira." Said Pinako. "Your wounds still need to heal a little more before that, but the choice is up to you."

And so, I spent the next week wallowing in self pity and mild discomfort, until one night, I heard a great rushing about downstairs, and clinking of armor.

In the morning, I awoke again to see myself not so alone. "I see this is becoming a trend" I thought as I looked around. Pikako had just opened the door , and was shoving clothes into my hands. "Here! Put these on, and hurry!"

I didn't question her, just did what I was told as I pulled on the black sweat pants and grey T shirt. I hobbled out of my room (or hopped would be a better term as I only had one leg to work with.) And peeked out from behind the doorway. A man had Edward gripped by the shirt, and I took that moment to realise 2 things, 1. The man had a military uniform, and was obviously high ranking due to the the high way he held himself, and 2. Edward didn't have his right arm, nor his left leg. Al was a suit of armor as well!

"What is this?" I asked, my tone reverting to the emotionless tone I had taken ever since that night.

"Well this is a surprise to say the least. I had heard reports that there was a couple of brilliant young alchemists living in this town so I came to check it out, but the last thing I expected to find was two children skilled enough to attempt Human transmutation, and skilled enough to bond a soul to a suit of armor or transmute an entire leg into a replacement eye." He said, looking at both Ed and I respectively. "I'd say they're more than qualified to become State Alchemists. Should they choose to accept the position, they'll be required to serve the military in times of national emergency. In return, they'll receive privileges and access to otherwise restricted research material. Given time they may be able to find a way to get their bodies back, or even more."

Pinako slammed her pipe down on the ashtray, making a sharp rap. "Right after he came stumbling to my door, half dead and covered in blood, I went over to their house to see for myself what had happened. What was there… Whatever that thing was it wasn't human! Ira was no better! Alchemy created those things, it nearly killed all 3 of them! And you want to throw those children headlong into it? Would you _really_ have them go through that kind of hell again?"

I looked on silently, contemplating the colonel's words. I looked over to ed, and saw that he was thinking as well. This strange military man who had just appeared out of nowhere was offering something that frankly, gave me a small ray of hope. I didn't hold much fondness for the military, but that didn't change the hugeness of this opportunity.

"I'm not forcing you. I'm merely offering you the possibility. Will you sit there in that chair wallowing in self pity? Or will you stand up and seize the chance the military can give you? If you believe there is a possibility of getting your bodies back, you should seek it out, keep moving, whatever it takes. Even if the way ahead lies through a river of mud."

Roy stared at Ed for a moment, then slowly turned to meet my one eye. He stood up and opened the door, then walked out with the woman he had arrived with. I stood next to Ed as Al and Winry left outside. I looked at Edward, and smiled for a few seconds. Look's like my life just got that bit more interesting huh?

"You sure you won't regret this?" Pinako said, looking at me but addressing both Ed and I.

"I'm in too far deep to go back, so I may as well just carry on." I said, trying to hide the shaking in my limbs. I had to be strong, If I was going to become a State Alchemist with Ed, this was just one stepping stone.

"How long will the rehabilitation and surgery take?" Asked Ed, inclining his head towards my leg.

"3 years." Pinako said, pulling on a pair of gloves.

Ed and I looked at eachother and I grinned,

**"We'll do it in one."**

The surgery was by far the most painful thing I have done. Well, that's an exaggeration as when I was a child I suffered worse, but still, it **hurt**.

When it was done, I passed out from the pain, but I did so satisfied. I barely said a word the entire procedure, and tried not to move. As Ed and I said, We did it all in one year, and Pinako was right, at times we did have ourselves spitting blood. We did grow though. Ed shot up in height (but was still small) and I grew as well, but fell short of Edward by a few inches. His hair grew, and so the task fell to Winry and I to teach him how to properly look after his hair. From branding to washing, we helped him. And in return, he taught me how to fist fight.

In the end, it all came down to a test. The State Alchemy exam to be exact. This was what we had spent the past year training and preparing for, and needless to say I was ready to have it over with.

As I stepped into the center of the Exam room, I knew the odds were stacked against me. It wasn't very often a woman had tried out the exams, and none had ever made the cut. So how could a 12 year old orphan from Resembool succeed?

"Would that be a steel prosthetic?" A man asked. He seemed slightly intimidating, so I narrowed my eye slightly.

"Yes." I said simply.

"You may begin." He said, and the guard next to me shifted.

"Do you need anything to draw circles with?" He asked.

"No, but I could use a good sparring partner." I said, grinning at the man's surprise

It was his turn to grin when Mustang stepped forward, "Am I good enough?" He asked.

I grinned and replied, "Perfect."

I then looked at him. He was wearing the standard uniform, no accessories to really account for accept for a pair of gloves he took from his pocket. As he pulled them on, I took note of his name, 'The Flame Alchemist,' meaning that he had to have some way to ignite a fire. As he lifted a hand, I saw the transmutation, and quickly masked the realisation smirk with a look of mock confusion. As he went to snap, I vaulted out of the way, feeling the heat brush my back as I barely made it unsigned.

I clapped my hands together and muttered 'activate' I felt a slight tingling at my tail bone, and ears as my body altered itself accordingly. My eye changed it's color, and nails sharpened themselves to a point as my automail mimicked the flesh and blood limb. The whole room gasped at my appearance, and I flipped my hair out of my face instinctively, showing the place where my eye should have been.

Mustang gasped, and I took the opportunity to rush forward and slash both of his gloves off of his hands, then kneed him in the gut. He fell to his knees, and I pulled out a dagger that I always kept up my sleeve and pressed it up against his neck. "You yield?" I asked, smirking.

"Hardly." He stated as I felt cold metal press against my own neck.

I sighed a bit as I stood up, sheathing my knife.

"Very good." The man said, and I turned to him.

"Do you need me for anything else sir?" I asked.

"No, we will correspond with you in a week to convey your results."

I nodded, then walked out of the doors.

"These silver pocket watches will serve as proof of your state certification." Mustang said, opening two small boxes to reveal the aforementioned watches. "This envelope contains your certificate of appointment. Hm, It would seem that our Führer is not without a certain sense of irony." He said, reading the paper.

"Why's that?" Ed said. He was seated next to me on a couch in Mustangs office in Eastern command, and was leaned back leisurely.

"Nothing, Congratulations You've just officially become a dog of the military." He said as he passed Ed and I our papers.

"Whiptail?" I asked, puzzled.

"That's right. Along with their commissions State Alchemists also receive a code name. Officially you will be known as the Fullmetal and Whiptail Alchemists." He said, folding his hands on his desk.

"I like that… Sounds nice and intimidating… I think that'll suit me just fine!" Ed said, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Hey, wake up! We're almost there!" Said Al as Ed stirred awake. Ira didn't move, and continued to sleep.

Edward looked out the window to see the town of Liore, slightly smaller due to the distance.

'_So that's Liore..._' Ed thought, looking closer. '_Could it really be there? The key to finally getting Al his body back..._'

"The Philosopher's Stone."

(18 pages 5516 words) Hey! Here's another chapter and I can say that I'm enjoying this! Tell me if you like the thing at the top and I'll see if I'll keep it.

Stay safe and Happy!  
>~Ira<p> 


	3. (BONUS CHAPTER) Halloween

(This is not attached to the main story at all, so you can skip if you want to)

"Ira!" I heard as I opened my eyes.

I sat up with a groan, squinting at the light. "What is it Ed? As you can see I'm trying to sleep." I said with a yawn.

"It's like 3 in the afternoon!" He said, and I bolted to the other room to look at the clock.

"You dirty liar, it's only 12." I groaned as I flopped back onto my bed.

"Come on Ira!" He whined, pulling me off the bed an onto the floor. "We have to get ready to go back to Resembool!"

"Resembool? But why?" I asked, pulling myself off the floor and pulling open one of the drawers in the room.

"Halloween of course!" He screamed, making me jump as I pulled out a white shirt.

"Wh-"

"We leave in 20 Minutes so you better hurry and get packed!" He said as she walked out of the room.

I sighed and began packing

_

I sweat-dropped as we seated on the train. "So tell me again why you woke me up just to get on the train to Resembool?" I asked, still confused.

"I told you! It's Halloween!" His face took on a dark look as he muttered, "And Winry made me promise to return for the holidays and that bastard Mustang put us on leave until after Christmas..."

I laughed and stared out of the window, smiling. "Yep. Sounds just like em!"

And so, It took the better part of the day to travel back to Resembool, and when we got there, well... It wasn't so pretty.

"YOU ARE 3 DAYS LATE!" Shouted Winry as she threw a wrench at Edward. She turned to me. "AND YOU!"

I looked at her in fear, cowering a bit despite myself. "I-I'm sorry Winry, nobody told me about this or we would have been here..." I stuttered.

_*_*_*_*_

As we walked back to the house, Winry, Ed Al and I made friendly conversation as we walked. "So what have you been up to Ira?" Winry asked, looking at me.

"Well..." I said, thinking. "Not much accept the occasional mission with Ed and Al that we get from Mustang." I replied.

"What? So no boyfriend?" She asked, and I felt my face heat up as I looked away, and Ed's face paled. "I DO NOT HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" I yelled, embarrassed and more than a little flustered.

_*_*_*_*_

"Hey Granny Pinako!" I said as we neared the porch.

"Ah, I see your doing well Ira." She said, then turned to Edward. "Well, it seems your doing good as well, pity."

"WHATS THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN?" Ed shouted with a tic mark on his forehead.

I chuckled as I walked into the house, walking to the stairs to get to my room.

I opened the door and flopped my suitcase on the bed. I had never really personalized my room, and even in the apartment that Ed, Al and I share I never really did much to my bedroom. The walls were grey and the bedding was black. Pretty simple, and I liked it that way.

"A little strange, huh?" I heard a voice ask me, and I turned around.

"Yeah." I breathed as I saw Ed. "Kinda weird after spending so much time in Eastern Command."

He nodded and walked to the door that was next to mine and opened it. That was his and Al's room, and I heard Al's armor clinking as he walked up the stairs.

I sighed and opened my suitcase, removing the stack of shirts I had stuffed in first. I opened my closet and grabbed a handful of hangers. I started stuffing shirts on hangers, then placing them into the closet. I next did the pants, and the rest was shoved into a drawer while my pajamas were placed on the foot of my bed. I closed the suitcase and shoved it into the closet. I shut the door and sighed, glad to have that over.

_*_*_*_*_

I walked downstairs and smiled. "Well, I'm going to go to the graveyard and pay my respects." I said, stretching my tired and achy limbs.

"Alright, please be careful." Pinako said, barely looking up from her work. I opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind me with a quiet click.

"Hey! Wait for me!" I heard behind me. I turned to see Ed running up to me, then fall into step beside me.

"Ok then." I said, looking forward.

When we arrived at the cemetery, Edward made a beeline to Trisha's grave, tightly holding the flowers we had picked up on the way. I walked towards 2 graves off on their own to the right. I kicked the gravestone nearest to me and laughed. "Hey! How are you bastards holding up?" I sneered as the light shone weakly on the dull stones.

Ike Kenwood  
>1876-1899<p>

Nyxa Kenwood  
>1877-1899<p>

"Who are they?" Ed asked, looking over towards me.

"The poor sobs who thought they could sell their children to scientists and walk away without any harm done." I said, smiling ruefully.

He walked over to me, grabbing my trembling hand. "Come on, we have things to do." He said walking off, lightly dragging me with him until I fell into step next to him.

_

"Were home!" Ed shouted as we walked through the door. I shrugged off my jacket and hung it on a hook.

"Just in time, dinner is almost ready. Go wash up." Pinako said as we nodded, and he went to the kitchen as I walked upstairs to wash my hands in the bathroom up there.

"Sooooooooooo" I heard as I turned the faucet on.

"What is it Winry?" I muttered as I washed my hands.

"I saw you two walking and just wanted to get the dirt!" She said as she grabbed my shirt, dragging me into the hallway. "So what happened?" She asked, leaning in close to my face.

"We were walking home from the graveyard. Nothing more nothing less." I said coldly, turning away an walking down the stairs.

"Sure you were Ira... I'm on to you Kenwood..." She muttered, and I rolled my eyes.

_

After dinner, I helped clean up, then I went upstairs to change into my pajamas. Well, really they were a stolen pair of sweat pants and a loose t shirt from Ed, but it was still comfortable.

I laid back on my bed and sighed. This was gonna be a long few months if she couldn't find something interesting to do.

_

I shot up from my bed, sweaty and panting. I had had another nightmare. They were frequent, always had and I guess they always will be. I got up and snuck my way downstairs, knowing there was no point in trying to go back to sleep.

I laughed as I saw Ed on the couch, sleeping no doubt. I could barely see him as the sun was just barely beginning to shine, but knew it was him from the small snores that came from his sleeping form.

I silently opened the front door and walked outside. I smiled and laid on the grass, looking at the early morning sky.

Next thing I knew Al was shaking me awake. "Ira, Ira, you ok?" He asked. I slowly sat up and looked at him.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, slightly puzzled.

"Nothing, just go back into the house before brother sees that you've been sleeping out here and gets worried." He said, and I'm sure if he could he would have smiled.

I did as he said and went inside to the kitchen. I pulled out a pan and started to cook, chatting with Al all the while.

"Whats this?" Pinako asked, smiling slightly. "You know you don't have to do that."

"Yeah, I know." I said nonchalantly. "I was up anyway's so I figured why not."

_

"So I was thinking of getting pumpkins today." I said, cleaning up the kitchen.

"Pumpkins?" Ed and Winry asked. Al didn't ask as I had talked about it with him earlier that morning about it.

"Yeah, You know, to carve and put out on Halloween!" I said, putting the apron away.

"Oh, I see." He said, smiling a bit.

_*_*_*_*_

And so, we set off towards the pumpkin patch. I had hurried upstairs and changed into a pair of jeans with my boots and a random t shirt that was just a plain gray.

When Ed and Al saw the spots of orange that dotted the field, they went running, leaving Winry and Myself behind to watch.

When we got home, we had 4 large pumpkins, all prime for carving. Ed and Al, of course went the alchemy route and made some pretty amazing pumpkins, but I decided to do it the old fashioned way with Winry.

When we were done, we lined all fore up on the porch steps and added candles. The intricate faces that Ed and Al did looked even better with the back lighting, and the simple faces Winry and I had cut out with kitchen knives looked almost too simple in comparison. After that we blew out the candles and bid each other goodnight. I returned to my room and laid down, exausted from the days events.

(1546 words 6 pages) That was the bonus chapter! If you don't celebrate/know what Halloween is, just either skip, or treat it like a separate one-shot from the story! I hope you enjoyed and please leave me a comment and don't forget to heart the story if you like it so far! This weeks update will most likely be out on Friday or Saturday, so stay tuned!

Stay safe and happy,  
>~Ira<p> 


	4. City of Heresy

"'_I wish that I could give you something… but I have nothing left. I am an old stump. I am sorry…'_

'_I don't need very much now,' said the boy, 'just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired.'_

'_Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could. 'Well, an old stump is a good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.'_

_And the boy did._

_And the tree was happy." _

(The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein)

"_God's children who live upon this land, pray in faith that ye shall be saved. Those who have lost their way the Sun God Leto shall shine his grace-"_

"So what are you guys like, street performers or something?"

I stared up distastefully at the stand owner. Ed spit out his drink in surprise. "Seriously? Do we look like street performers to you?" he asked as the radio droned on.

"Well yeah, it's why I asked!" The man said.

"Let's go you two." He said, angry. I sighed and adjusted my hood on my sweatshirt. For missions I would usually wear my trenchcoat, but I had put it away and didn't feel like putting it back on once we left the train.

Al's head hit the roof of the stand, knocking the radio over and effectively ending the useless chatter about some god and the sun. "HEY easy I didn't mean nothin by it!" The man admonished, gaping at his broken stereo.

"My apologies, we'll fix it." I said, sweat dropping as the man turned to me slightly.

"How's that it's smashed to hell!"

"Watch and learn Gramps." Ed said and I glared at him. '_Not earning any brownie points for politeness today I see...' _I thought, sighing as I watched Al draw a circle.

"Here goes." Alphonse said, putting his hands over the circle. It activated and the radio was whole again, just as we had expected.

"There, see, how's that?" Ed said, pointing to the radio. I swore I could see sparkles surrounding him, but I brushed it off.

"Amazing! It's a miracle! You've been touched by the Sun God just like Father Cornello!" The old man said, shocked.

Ed visibly deflated. "Touched by who now?"

"It's not a miracle, it's Alchemy!" Al said, extending his hand slightly towards the fixed radio.

"Oh, so you 3 are alchemists, I've heard of them."

"Then maybe you've heard of us!" Ed said, and I let out a sigh of air in amusement as they both puffed out their chests in pride. "Were the Elric Brothers."

"The Elric Brothers you say…"

"Wait I do know that name!"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric! And his friend The Whiptail Alchemist, Ira Kenwood! Is that right?"

Next thing I knew was that people were crowding around Al and I. '_Every damn time..'_ I thought with a small grin as Ed stood alone, thinking people were talking to him.

"um… uh,Hehe, It's not me,"

"Huh?"

"What? You mean it's the little guy there?"

As Edward blew up at the towns people, I quickly hid behind Alphonse. I never liked large crowds and still didn't.

"So, what's with this guy on the radio?" I asked, snapping Ed out of his anger.

"T-thats our leader Father Cornello" The shop owner said, still startled from Ed's outburst.

"We were lost until he came to town. He came and started teaching us all the ways of the Sun God Leto."

"He grants eternal life to the souls of the faithful."

"He can even resurrect the dead. His miracles are proof that what he says is true!"

"So this guy claims he can bring the dead back to life…" I muttered, looking at Ed and Al. "Now that's something I gotta see."

A rather fat man stood on top of a stage in front of a church. That was all I saw as I sat on Alphonse's shoulders and Ed stood on the suitcases. The man looked fairly self satisfied as he caught a small flower and clasped his hands together around it. A red light was emitted and behind him was a large stone statue.

"So that's it huh? What do you think?"

"There's nothing to think, thats alchemy. no doubt about it!"

"But somehow he's ignoring the law of Equivalent Exchange." Ed said, looking towards the man. "He should have been only able to transmute that flower into something of equal mass."

"He's changing organic matter into inorganic matter. He shouldn't be able to do that."

My eyes traveled downwards from the man's smug face to his hand. I smirked, "Guys, that lead, whoever or wherever you received it from were onto something." I said.

"Yeah, there's just one way…" Ed said, a vicious look in his eyes.

"Oh, merciful God, please hear me, hear my prayer I'm begging you." The girl looked up at the statue. "Please bring him back!"

I almost felt guilty, almost as if we had stumbled upon something private. Ed, however, had no issue barging in. "So this is the 'Almighty Leto'"

"Welcome! Are you interested in Letoism?" She said as she swung around to face us.

"Nope, can't say I am! Not really the religious type." Ed said and I looked at the girl for her reaction, wondering if she would defend her faith or let the comment go.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. To know God is, to know hope. If we believe in divine grace, than through Him all things are possible. If you believed, I'm sure he would bless you two and make you taller!" She said. I saw that she was sincere and smiled a fraction. Ed wasn't as observant.

"What about bringing the dead back to life? Do you believe that's possible?" He asked, sitting down at a pew.

"Yes," She sighed as she closed her eyes. I moved behind Ed, still standing as this place gave me the creeps.

Ed sighed, then took out a book. To be more precise **my **book, I had given it to him to carry around after they had committed the taboo a few weeks after I did. I was unaware that he still carried around the stupid thing. "Water, 35 litres. Carbon, 20kg. Ammonia, 4 litres. Lime, 1.5kg. Phosphorus, 800g. Salt, 250 g. Niter, 100g. Sulphur, 80g. Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g. Silicon 3g. And fifteen other trace elements." The girl was thoroughly confused at this point. He slammed the book shut. "That list represents the complete chemical makeup of the human body for the average adult. It's been calculated down to the last microgram, but still, there hasn't been one reported case of successfully creating a human life. And your telling me something modern science can't do you can do with prayer?!"

"Lift thy voice to god, and the prayers of the faithful shall be answered!" She said, quite passionately I might add.

"I think he forgot to mention, all of the ingredients could be bought with a kid's spare pocket change. Turns out humans are made pretty cheaply." I said, shifting positions to cross my arms. I smiled ruefully, glancing at the girl as I did.

"No! Thats blasphemy! People are… we're all children of God! Created in His image!" She said slightly glaring at our small party.

Ed looked down and laughed for a second. "You have to understand, Alchemists are scientists. We don't believe in unprovable concepts like creators or gods. We observe the physical laws that govern this world. To try to learn the truth."

I drowned out the rest of the conversation as I thought. '_The Truth huh_?' My mind flashed to that day. The room of white,Truth, the Gate, darkness, pain. I wasn't a big believer in God when I was younger. Despite what I had read in books about Him being benevolent and kind to the good, My life was filled with horrors for years. I never understood what I had done wrong, and had decided if there was a God out there, that He was cruel and merciless. After that day. I didn't know what to think. I was between understanding that this was the punishment for those who had decided they would play god, and screaming from the injustice of it all. I looked at the poor girl, and sadly smiled. Whoever this 'Father Cornello' was, he must be pretty convincing.

"Brother." I snapped back to earth from my thoughts and saw Ed jump up from the pew.

"I'm sorry miss, this is difficult for me to ask, but do you think your Father Cornello could even save a couple of arrogant scientists like us?" He asked, bowing.

I frowned and looked at him. "_Don't lump me in with you!_" I hissed, earning a nudge from Al.

"Of course thats wonderful!" She exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "If anyone can lead you to the Creators light he can!"

"This way please." I huffed in annoyance and twitched my fingers. There was something wrong here. I could _feel _it. Not like feel like the shivers, but like my genetically implanted instincts telling me to turn tail and run out of there. "Father Cornello is a busy man, as you can imagine." The man leading us said as he opened a door. "Your in luck, as he's decided to spare a moment for you."

I glared holes into the mack of the man's head. Something about this was just _not right_. "Yeah thanks! We understand, we won't take too much of his time!" Ed remarked, awkwardly smiling.

"Good, than it's agreed. We'll make this quick."

I saw the man's arm move and reacted. I jumped back and glared harder if it was even possible. '_That's what I thought. This is a set-up._' I thought as a couple of guards put their spears in front of me. '_what do they expect those overgrown toothpicks to do?_' I wondered as I frowned.

"Brother Cray! What is this? What do you think you're doing?" The girl asked.

"Rose, these heathens have come to ensnare and discredit the father. They're evil. This is God's will."

'_God's will? How would you know?_' I wondered while sizing up the guards next to me, waiting for Edward to give the signal.

"Brother Cray-"

"Well like you said. Lets make this quick!" Ed shouted as he flipped a guard, punching the other. I reacted instantly. I grabbed the knife I kept in my boot and in 2 swift slashes removed the tips from the spears. I stomped on one's foot, probably shattering it, and punched the other. I took a few steps forward to right myself. Ed threw the discarded spear and hit a running man. Knocking him down. "Oh yeah! Strike!"

I laughed slightly and looked up. "What's this commotion?" A large man (the slightly fat one from earlier!) stepped out from the shadows, grinning sickly. "Ah, the Fullmetal and Whiptail Alchemists, Welcome to the home of our sacred order!"

"Ah- Father Cornello!" Rose gasped, turning to the man.

"I must apologize for my disciples behavior. It would seem they've been misguided."

'_And who do you think did the misguiding?_' I wondered sarcastically. Edward seemed to have the same thought.

"Ok, let's say I believe you weren't the one guiding them. What next?" Yep. pretty much right on the money there Ed.

"Have you come to learn the ways of Leto?"

"Well…" I said, looking at Ed.

"There are a few things we're curious about. Like how you've been using second rate alchemy to deceive your followers."

Rose gasped, and I grinned as the smile faltered on the man's face for a second. "My dear boy I don't know what you mean. What your doubting eyes see as alchemy are the miracles of the Sun God Leto." He clasped his hands together and the red light flashed again, this time revealing a statue similar to the ones I saw earlier. "Look again. Could mere alchemy create something from nothing this way?"

I sighed. "Yeah. That's what we didn't get at first. How could you perform transmutations that so blatantly ignore the law of Equivalent Exchange?" I questioned, stepping forwards.

"As I said, because it isn't alchemy!" Cornello said, slamming the statue down.

I closed my eye. "Then I started thinking. If you somehow managed to acquire a certain object to amplify your alchemy. One that's said to make the impossible possible." I opened my eye, glaring at him. "That would explain everything."

"What?" The man looked taken aback, and I smirked. I may have one eye, but I'm far from blind.

"I'm talking about the Philosophers Stone. Possibly the one in your ring."

Ed stepped forward. "I've been looking for that."

"The ring is just a ring. I am God's humble servant it is from He alone that I derive my power.

"So you're still trying to sell that line huh?" Ed snarled as he angrily stepped forward. "If that's the way you want to play it I guess I'll have to come up there and beat some truth out of ya!"

"My, you really are quite the incorrigible heathen aren't you? Rose dear,"

"Yes father?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"That gun there beside you, pick it up." The sick grin was back.

"Uh, o-ok." She said as she reached down to pick up the gun.

"Now child, I want you to shoot the Fullmetal Alchemist." The man's grin remained on his face, despite him ordering the murder of a 15 year old.

She looked horrified at the thought. "N-no I- Father I can't do that!" She said, gun still clasped in her hands.

"I am the Sun God's Chosen emissary. My word is the word of Leto himself." One of his eyes opened a fraction, and the expression on his face darkened. "Shoot him Rose. It's God's will." She raised the gun and shook with fear. Ed had turned to sace her and had a frown on his face. "Why hesitate? When you lost your fiancé to that tragic accident last year." She looked up, a new kind of horror graced her face. "Who was it that saved you from the very depths of despair?" He asked, a large smirk on his face as he extended his hand. "Have you forgotten?"

"It was you.. Father" She said, trembling and gasping to breathe.

"Thats right! It was I who took your hand and lead you into God's light! And do you recall what it is that I promised you then?"

"You promised that if I had faith that you would bring him back!" She said, stepping forwards, the tremble gone from her voice and bones.

She pointed the gun at Al, and I chuckled a bit. "No, wait!" He yelled, "It's not me honest!" He said, holding up his hands.

She looked to Ed and gasped. "It's **ME** dammit! **I'M** the Fullmetal Alchemist!" He yelled, throwing his arms up and just all about throwing a fit. "It's not _him_ it's **ME**!"

"It's the short one?" The priest questioned, looking taken aback. "You're kidding!"

Rose righted the gun, this time aimed at Ed. I was slightly more worried than I was for Al as he is a suit of armor, and bullets usually only ricochet off of him. With Ed it would kill him. "I'm sorry but I-I have to do this. I don't have any choice."

"He's been lying to you Rose." I commented, crossing my arms.

"You're wrong! I've seen his miracles! Father Cornello will bring him back to life! I have faith!" Her eyes never left Ed, and the gun never loosened in her hands. '_well there goes the idea of distracting her..._' I thought.

"Fine, then shoot." He said, staring her straight in the started to tremble, and pulled the gun closer to herself. She closed her eyes and shot, accidently missing the mark and hitting Alphonse instead.

"Al!" Ed said as his head flew off. I knew he was alright, but Ed tended to forget these things, even after the almost 3 or 4 years we've been like this. Rose dropped the gun and brought her hands to her face, screaming. I stepped towards Alphonse and Ed. I stood in front of them and turned around to face her.

"Good, God Leto is pleased, you have done well my child. Now pick up the gun and shoot the others as well." He said as he opened the other eye.

Al sat up. "Haven't you made her do enough already?" He asked, astonishing the others in the room. Ed moved to pick up Al's fallen head as they stood.

"B-but your head.. I-I thought you were-"

"Don't worry about it, he's pretty solid." Ed said, rapping his knuckles on the front of Al's armor.

"Yeah see, no harm done!" Al said kindly, pointing at the empty inside of the armor.

"An empty suit of armor that walks and speaks, do you still doubt it Rose? This unholy thing is an abomination!" The man stumbled backwards as Al secured his back on. "Evil of this kind must be purged!" I heard a clunk as a lever was most likely thrown. An area in the wall opened to reveal a chimera, part lion, rat, and probably lizard if my observation was correct. "And I think my Chimera will be up to the task."

I grimaced. Ed glanced at me, then returned to Cornello. "So this is the sort of thing you do with the Philosopher's stone. That's just twisted."

I saw Rose step backwards, gasping. "Anyway, looks like I'll need a weapon." Ed said as he clapped his hands together, then to the ground.

I sighed, then clapped and muttered a small 'Activate.' I felt the familiar tingling feeling as I gained advanced senses, sharp teeth and nails, a tail and ears. To be honest I didn't much care for the ears, I could deal with the tail. I removed my sweatshirt, holding on to the futile hope that I might be able to return and recover it and still have a sweatshirt that's in one piece.

"No transmutation circles! Then the State Alchemist titles really aren't for show? You truly are gifted!" Cornello said, and the surprise was sweet music to my ears. "However," The chimera growled and went for Ed, slashing his pant leg. He defended with a spear of his own creation, but It was slashed apart like a hot knife through butter. "Your little spear is no match for chimera claws that cut through wire!"

The chimera wheeled to me, and I was no longer concerned about Ed, as the worst injury he got was his spear broke and his pants ripped. I glared at the chimera, a sick creature I was so often referred to. It launched itself at me and I made no attempt to dodge. It's teeth dug into the metal of my elbow, and I sighed, glad I had discarded my sweatshirt. I let it hang for a second, struggling to find purchase on the metal of my automail. "Nice try." I growled as I kicked it away from me. I looked down at my shirt in distaste, seeing that it had ripped the long sleeves. "Now see, you've ripped the one comfy long sleeve shirt I had. How rude." I commented, looking at the shocked priest.

"You arm, his leg, a brother trapped in armor! I see. It's all becoming clear now, YOU DID IT DIDN'T YOU? THE ONE THING EVEN THE MOST NOVICE ALCHEMIST KNOWS IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN!"

"Why don't you come down here and try me? I'll show you real quick who the novice is!" I looked at Ed, who had his hand raised.

"Rose, this is the price of their sin." I looked over at the girl pityingly, my tail whipping slightly. "These fools attempted human transmutation. The greatest taboo for any alchemist! In their arrogance they tried to bring someone dead back to life." I turned my gaze to Cornello, pity turning into anger.

"Oh no…" She whispered, and I knew she had made the connection.

"This is what happens when you play God, or whatever you wanna call it. Take a good look Rose, is this what you want?" The girl looked shocked at Ed's words.

Cornello laughed. "So these are the great Fullmetal and Whiptail Alchemists, Barely even children, let alone human!" He said, looking at me with that last comment. My tail twitched with anger.

"And what are you?! You're just a phony that can't do anything without a philosopher stone!" Edward shouted, angry.

"Father, we just want you to hand over the stone before you get hurt!" Alphonse said, holding out his hand.

"Don't be absurd! Why? So you can use it for yourself?" He rested his cane in his other hand. "Please, if you fools are really so eager to play god, than perhaps I should send you to meet him instead!"

His cane was consumed with red light as it transmuted into a large gun. I heard bullets fly and I slid in front of the brothers and clapped my hands together, then held them out. With a couple of blue sparks a wall came up to meet my palms, and block the bullets. "Well, you see, I don't work well with god, so even if you did kill me, he'd probably send me right back. Same goes for Edward here." I scoffed, smirking as I did. I glanced at Al and he looked at Rose. He picked her up just as Cornello started to fire again, this time at her.

"This way!" Ed shouted, and I looked to where he was transmuting. He slammed his palms on the wall and it turned into a door. True to Ed's strange sense of style, it came out looking slightly more intricate than it really needed to me. He slammed the door open, and our strange little party ran down the hall towards the exit.

There was a large group of people who blocked the exit of the hallway. "That's far enough."

"What are you gonna do? Your unarmed and outnumbered!"

"Look, just come quietly. We don't wanna have to rough you up!" The men said this somewhat kindly as Ed clapped his hands together, transmuting his automail into something slightly more scary than usual. The men easily cleared out of the way and we barreled through.

_3rd person P.O.V_

"What do you think of him now Rose?" Al asked as he set down the bell from the top of the tower. "He just opened fire, he didn't care that you were in the way."

"But, that's because...What he said back there is true, isn't it?" She asked, looking away slightly.

"We're not evil. All we wanted was to see our mom smile again, and all Ira wanted was someone who would stick by her side." He replied as he worked, drawing a transmutation circle. "But both of the transmutations failed. What we made, wasn't even human. As far as I know for Ira it was the same." A gust of wind blew Rose's hair. "We learned our mistakes the hard way. People don't come back from the dead. Not ever."

Rose looked shocked, if she wasn't already. "That's not true… I mean-"

"Alchemy is based on the law of equivalent exchange. The price of even a failed human transmutation was enormous. It cost my brother his left leg, and it cost me my whole body." He took off his helmet. "Do you see it? My brother drew that with his own blood. His leg had been taken, he was bleeding. I can't imagine the pain he was in. But through all of that he still gave up his right arm to transmute my soul. Ira bore the cost of the transmutation alone. Her shoulders, eyes, and Right arm were taken. She was blind until she drew a transmutation circle and gave up her left leg to regain her sight. She only got one eye back though. Now, I just want to help them get their bodies back to the way they were, He wants to find a way to get Ira and I back to normal too, and Ira wants to help Ed and I with our bodies. It won't be easy, we might even get killed along the way, but that's the path we chose. All we can do is keep moving."

"But, Father Cornello said… He said he could do it, he promised me…" She said, trembling. "Just because you 3 failed, that doesn't mean… It doesn't mean he will!"

_Ira's P.O.V_

I sat on the desk with Ed, waiting in silence for Cornello to show up. "There you are! You infernal brats!"

Ed smirked. "Look, can we just cut the crap and talk here? All I want are some straight answers about the stone. Tell me what I need to know, and I'll be on my way." he leaned back.

"Or, we could get the military involved." I suggested, glancing over at Cornello.

He looked around for a second, then shut the door. I smirked. "Ask your questions."

"You could do anything with the philosopher's stone right? So why waste all that power performing phony miracles?"

The man smirked, seemingly amused by the question. "Because with each miracle I can attract new believers to the Order. Believers who would lay down their lives for my sake! I'm slowly building an army. A legion of warriors unafraid to die." Ed rested his chin on his knuckles, and I stood, bending down to pick something up. "In a few more years I'll be ready to unleash this spineless horde upon the world, and I'll use the philosophers stone to tear this country apart! Who knows? I might even carve out a place for you." I sat back down on the desk, the dropped object grasped in my hands. Ed started to laugh, and I smiled a fraction. "Wait, what are you laughing about?"

I turned to face the priest fully. "You truly are the novice here, aren't you?" I said as I revealed what was in my hand. It was a switch. That lead to a microphone, and Cornello's ultimate downfall.

"Why you! How long? How long has that been on?"

I hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm, about the whole time!"

"Your 'believers' heard every word." Ed chimed in, still smirking.

"How could you! You'll pay dearly for this!" He shouted as he transmuted his cane once more. Ed nudged me as he rose, and I understood.

"Sorry, not today!" Ed rushed the man, slicing the gun he was transmuting in half.]

"Face it, you're outclassed here." I commented as I stood up.

"I AM WITHOUT RIVAL!" Cornello shouted as he transmuted. Ed backflipped next to me, and we shared a look. When the light cleared we saw that the transmutation had rebounded, and his arm had morphed with the gun.

"It's a rebound…" Ed said, shocked.

"No! I won't be disgraced like this! Now, behold, the chosen embassy of the Sun God Leto!" Ed and I looked up in shock as the man grew in mass. He was taller and taller, and I was intimidated to say the least. We ran through the hallways until we hit the main room. And when I say hit I mean **hit**.

The wall crumbled as a hole was opened to allow the large form of Father Cornello. Ed and I parted ways when we hit the open space. He went left and I went right, barely missing the crashing fist of Cornello. I stood by the statue, and Ed went on the defensive, guarding a punch from the massive priest. "**My** word is the divine word of God Himself! **My** fist is the almighty fist of judgement!"

"Oh yeah, fist of god huh?" Ed asked as he shoved the hand away.

"I'm on it!" I shouted as I clapped my hands to the statue. The stone fist extended to Cornello, effectively smashing him back to his original size.

Ed grabbed his head and smashed it to his. "Shut up! Just give me the Philosopher's Stone!"

In that moment, I could feel a shift in the air. "What the hell?" Ed asked, looking down. "The stone… It's supposed to be perfect material. How did it just break like that?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know anything about it! Spare me please! I was wrong! Please, I beg you!"

Ed stood up. "It was a damn fake."

"Well, at least his jewelry matched his personality." I said dryly.

"Please don't! I'm helpless without the stone! Spare me please!" Cornello begged.

"You mean we went through all this, risked our lives for this one possible chance… and it's a fake…" Ed looked heartbroken.

I walked up to the old man, slightly in front of Ed. "Beat it you old geezer. Your pathetic groveling is getting on my nerves." I growled, and he ran off. I spit on the ground. "Coward."

"And what about the stone?" Al asked as we all met in front of the church.

"Phony, just like him." Ed commented, crestfallen.

"oh."

Ed rapped the back of his knuckles on Alphonse's armor. "Sorry Al, for a while there I thought we'd really found a way to get your body back."

"Give me the Philosopher Stone!" We turned around t se Rode, the gun clutched in her hands.

"Rose?" Al asked, seemingly surprised.

"Like he just said, It was fake, it wasn't real. Currently it's just dust scattered on the wind." I said, somewhat coldly.

"Liar! You want to keep it for yourselves! So you can use it on your bodies, That's right! And so you can try to bring back your sister again!"

"Now stop right there." I said, shaking slightly with anger." "I don't know how many times I have to explain this, but people don't come back from the dead Rose. And we're living proof."

She sunk to her knees, shaking. "But he promised me… he said if I prayed it would happen…" Ed started walking, and Al and I followed shortly after. "Hope was all I had left! What am I supposed to believe in now?" She asked, crying. "Tell me what to do… Please!"

As we walked past, Edward said something that I never forgot. "I can't tell you that. You have to figure it out. Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You got two good legs, so use them. You're strong enough to make your own path."

(5120 words, 18 pages according to Quotev) Hey, this was a little late, but here you go!

Stay safe and happy!  
>~Ira<p> 


	5. An Alchemist's Anguish

_A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure. ~Lee Segall_

Ed, Al, and I were walking down a hallway of Eastern Command. I could vaguely hear voices, but there were too many in the building to decipher, even if I wanted to. We walked into the colonel's office to see Furey messing around with a radio. Ed clapped his hands together and lightly touched the broken radio.

"Hey! It's Edward and Alphonse!" He said, then paused for a moment. "Oh, and Ira too!" I frowned. I realized compared to Ed and Al I was small, but was I that small?

"Welcome back." Hawkeye said. "Go on in, the colonel's expecting you."

I could see Edward visibly deflate at this. "oh…"

"You did well with the Liore case. Nice work, I appreciate you resolving the matter." I sat on a couch opposite of the brothers. I suppressed a yawn, and looked at Ed, wondering how he would respond.

"No big deal, It;s not like we did it for you." He replied, sounding every bit as bored as I felt.

"Right. The Philosopher's Stone. Another false lead?" They looked at eachother for a few moments, and the room went dead silent. Alphonse and I exchanged a look.

"Yeah, after all that the stone was a fake. Even so, the power it gave Cornello was real enough." Ed said, putting a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "He transmuted this huge chimera right in front of us." I winced at the memory. I had never liked chimeras, they gave me a weird feeling.

"I still wonder how he was able to use the stone to do that." Al said, looking down at Ed. "I'm not familiar enough with the field of bio-alchemy to really understand it."

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "I'm kinda curious about that too. It might be worth looking into. Who knows? We might find something that might be able to help us restore our bodies."

Mustang shifted in his seat, "It might help if you consulted a specialist." He reached into his desk, pulling out a file.

"Huh?"

"The Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker. He's done some heavy research into chimera transmutation. I'll introduce you." Mustang said as he held out the file.

"You would do that for us!?" Al said as Ed jumped to his feet.

"Ok, whats the catch? You want something don't you!" Ed exclaimed, pointing his finger accusingly at Mustang.

I rose quietly to my feet as Mustang replied. "Well, you can count me out." I said.

"I-Ira?" Al questioned. Everyone turned to look at me as I grasped the door handle to try to mask my shaking.

"I've spent enough time with chimeras and their damned creators for a lifetime." I nodded to the Colonel. "Thanks."

As I walked out and shut the door, I could feel their questioning stares burn into my back.

"So, you decided to come along after all Whiptail?" Mustang asked as I entered the military car.

"Well…"

_Flashback_

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT IRA?" Ed screamed at me on the walk to the apartment.

"You know how I feel about those _things_, and you know how they make me feel Ed." I said firmly. He didn't speak for a while, and I was hoping he was just going to let it go, but I was surprised.

"Could you at least try?" Al asked. I stopped, and closed my eyes.

"Fine." I said after a while, and resumed walking. "But if one of those creatures gets the idea to attack me I won't be responsible for my actions."

Mustang grinned as the car started moving. "Two years ago, Tucker transmuted a chimera that could understand human speech. That earned him his State Alchemist certification."

"By understand human speech… do you mean- Wait you mean it talks! A chimera?"

"Right, supposedly it only said one thing. "I want to die." After that, it refused to eat or drink until it got it's wish." Ed and Alphonse looked horrified, and I just began to shake.

"Man this house is huge!" Exclaimed Ed as Mustang rang the bell. I looked backwards when there was a loud howl. There was a massive white dog lounged on top of my friend,so like the food friend I am, I fell on the floor in tears laughing.

"You ok Ed?" Al asked, concerned. I heard a door open, and regained my composure enough to sit up, wipe my eyes, and look to the front of the house.

"Daddy! There are people out here, look!" A little girl with ginger hair had opened the door. The man who I presumed was Shou Tucker stood behind her.

"Nina, this is why I told you to keep the dog tied up." said the man in the doorway, looking slightly concerned.

"Sorry about the mess, Ever since my wife ran out this place has been a wreck. I'm not much of a housekeeper." Tucker explained as he placed tea in front of all 4 of us. I bit back the urge to say something along the lines of 'We can tell.' and just settled for a strained smile. "Now that we're all settled in, let me say that it's a pleasure to meet you Edward, Ira. As the colonel told you I'm the Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker."

"Ed is interested in the field of Biologic Alchemy, he would like to have a look at your research if that's possible." Mustang cut in, pointing to Edward.

"Oh yeah, certainly. I don't mind. However," Everyone looked at Tucker. "If you want me to show you the tricks I've got up my sleeve, it's only fair you show me the tricks you've got up your's as well. It's the code we live by, Equivalent Exchange." He paused. "Now, why are you interested in Bio-Alchemy?"

Mustang stuttered for a moment, trying to cover. Ed held out his hand and exchanged a look with me.

Ed pulled off his cloak, and I took off my sweatshirt and pulled back my hair. Ed explained His and Al's story, and I did the best I could to explain the metal shoulders, arm, missing eye, and the strange tattoos that ran slightly under the sleeve of my shirt. As I put my sweatshirt back on he spoke. "You tried human transmutation? As 11 year old children? I see, so that's what earned you the title 'Fullmetal Alchemist'" He turned to me, "I'm afraid I still don't understand your name, Ira." I rested my head on the table and groaned.

"Nobody does" I sulked for a few seconds, then stood.

"Ira, you don't-" Ed started to say but I cut him off.

"I don't see why not Ed, It's not like I make it a secret." I sighed as I clapped my hands together. I felt my body change as a tail and new ears took form. I opened my eye and heard him stiffen in his chair. "I know, creepy right?" I chuckled as I transformed back and took a seat. "If I'm not careful with my emotions, I could transform accidentally. Of course, i can do it willingly, but I can only change about three times before I lose too much energy and pass out."

"You've all had a rough time for people so young." The conversation lulled for a moment while Ed sat, then Tucker stood. "I can't say if it will be of any use to you or not, But why don't you go ahead and take a look at my laboratory.

The strange cries of chimeras could be heard echoing around the room as Ed and Al investigated the various cages and tanks scattered about. "It's kinda embarrassing, I'm fairly widely regarded as an authority on chimeras, But the truth is, it hasn't actually been going that well recently."

I could feel my limbs stop shaking and my eyesight return to normal as we walked further down a hallway to a large pair of double doors. Shou opened them and turned the lights on to reveal a rather large library. "Amazing!" Ed exclaimed as we stood in the doorway.

"This is my library, feel free to look around." As he finished, Ed and Al rushed over to some shelves, and I followed, albeit a bit slower.

"Alright, Let's dive in! I'll start with this shelf!" Ed said, pulling out a book and opening it.

"I'll try starting over here!" Al said, doing the same.

I walked over to a shelf next to Alphonse and pulled out a book and began reading, vaguely hearing Mustang and Tucker talking.

The hours ticked by, and I soon found myself surrounded by a pile of books. The only problem was that my leg stump started to ache from remaining in the same position for hours on end. I closed the book I was reading, an old tome on chimera physics and behaviors, and stood up, carefully stretching. I heard laughs and the clinking of Al's armor. I carefully edged my way out of the small fort of books and made my way to where Alphonse was reading. It seemed Ed had the same Idea as he was standing to the other side of me, staring at Al in bewilderment.

"Al! What are you doing? Your supposed to be reading!" Ed exclaimed, pointing at him.

"Uh, Nina looked like she wanted to play!" Al explained, but that seemed to make Ed more irritated.

"Well in case you've forgot we didn't come here to play horsey…" He trailed off as the large, white mountain of a dog leaped on top of him. I shook as I tried not to laugh.

"Alexander says he wants to play too!" Nina exclaimed. My whole body shook with laughter as I leaned on Alphonse as not to fall on the floor.

Ed picked his head up and clenched his fists. "So thats what you want is it?" I looked questioningly up at him from my slumped position on the floor as he stood up. "You've bested me twice dog, But playtime is over." He paused. "I WILL NOT LOOSE THIS TIME! I, EDWARD ELRIC WILL USE MY CONSIDERABLE POWERS TO VANQUISH YOU! YOU MANGY MUTT!"

Well, no more than 5 minutes Al, Nina and I were all looking down at Ed as he, yet again, was squashed under the large dog. "Hey Chief, your ride has arrived." Havoc called out as he opened the double doors of the library. "What are you up to down there Ed?" He asked, leaning down. I saw Al's head turn to me a fraction as I opened my mouth to say something, then abruptly shut it.

"Oh, you know lets just say I'm taking a break from a long day of research…" Ed groaned as he stood.

"After all of that, you must be dog tired." Tucker commented. Havoc grinned and Shou laughed. "How about you come back tomorrow."

Nina ran over to where Alphonse and I stood. "So you're really gonna come again?" She questioned, looking very excited.

Al leaned down. "We'll play some more tomorrow, 'Kay Nina?" he said, and I could tell if he could, he would be grinning.

As we left, Havoc turned to Tucker, and he told him something. I tuned him out at "message from the Colonel" and just kept walking next to Ed.

We were back at the Tucker Household, and Al had struck up a conversation with Nina about how her mother left. To be quite honest, I was more absorbed in the book I was reading than what they were talking about. I was sure that I would hear about it from Al later anyways, so why pay attention when I could read my book? After a while, Ed stood up, rolling his shoulders, which reminded me of the aches in mine (or rather, the area around them) that I had been trying to ignore for a little over an hour. "My shoulders are killing me!" Ed yawned.

"Maybe you should try to move around some Brother." Al commented.

"Yeah, I think you're right!" Ed said as he kicked me in the shoulder. I looked up.

"I would say 'ow,' but that really didn't do much you know." I said, closing the book and placing it to the side.

"Hey, you mangy mutt!" Ed continued, pointing at Alexander. "Looks like you could use some exercise!"

Al looked down at Nina. "Lets go too Nina!"

And so, we all made our way out to the back yard. Ed was being chased by Nina who was riding on Alexander, and Al was watching next to a tree. As for me, I was laying down on a low hanging branch of the tree that was near to Alphonse. I had lapsed my concentration and relaxed just enough for my tail to appear, and was hanging off the side of the branch swinging back and forth lazily. I heard Ed transmute and then the snapping of metal jaws as, I assume, he went on the offensive. The sun was warm, and with all the laughter, I started to doze off and became lost in thought.

'_You know, he would be a good father one day..._' I thought to myself. '_On second thought, he would get too upset if one of his children was taller than him, so probably not._' I chuckled slightly at the thought, and without realising it, I fell asleep.

My dreams were plagued with a childhood full of memories of chimeras. The only thing that surrounded me was the vile things. Their stench made my skin crawl, and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. As much as it killed me inside, my sister was a chimera. I was too, in my own right. We were different, but the same. And after what felt like forever being lost in these memories, I felt something soft surround me, kind of similar to a hug, or, what I assumed to be one. After that, I faded into a nice, dreamless sleep.

When I woke up, I was back at our apartment, and laid on the couch. I thought this was strange because last I remember I was in a tree. I was also using Ed's jacket as a blanket, and smiled slightly. He most likely must have carried me home.

I stood up and grabbed the coat. I placed it on the arm of the couch and made my way to my bedroom. It was right across from Ed's room (in case I had a nightmare he insisted I be where he could help) and right next to Al's room (Which is where he sits at night and I sometimes join him when I can't sleep). The walls were white, and the bedspread was a dull grey. We never really spent much time here anyways, so we never really decorated.

I grabbed the pajamas that I had left at the foot of my bed and quickly changed. I pulled back the crisp sheets, flipped off the light, and fell asleep.

We had arrived early at the Tuckers and of course, it looked like it was going to rain. Ed rang the doorbell and i shoved my hands into my pockets to keep from gripping my shoulders. Al pulled open the door. "Hello Mr. Tucker! Thanks for having us again today!" As we entered the house, something felt profoundly **wrong** about this place. I wrote it off at the chimeras and how they affected me, but didn't relax my tense posture. "Mr. Tucker?!"

"Hey, Nina!" Ed called as we walked down the hallway towards Mr. Tucker's lab. He opened the double doors. What I saw there, nearly made me throw up. Edward and Alphonse couldn't see the full form of it yet, but it looked sickeningly like Alexander, and smelled faintly, as I could only smell slightly better than normal humans, like Nina. Ed and Al walked in, and I stood in the doorway, shaking.

" !" Al said, sounding almost relieved.

"There you are, so you are home!" Ed said.

Tucker turned around from his crouched position on the floor. "Yes. I did it, I finally did it. A chimera that understands human speech." I heard thunder rumble in the distance. "Here, let me show you." He crouched down once more. "Listen to me, That person over there, that's Edward."

"That person… Edward." It said in a sickening voice. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine, and my knees gave out. Thankfully, nobody noticed me collapse to the floor, and remained enamored with the 'groundbreaking' chimera in front of them.

"Yes, that's very good! Well done!" Tucker praised it, patting it on the head.

"That's amazing! It can actually talk!" He crouched down to get a better look.

"Now I don't have to worry about losing my certification!" Tucker chuckled.

"That person, Edward." I heard Ed gasp in awe, then pause as the chimera turned to him. "That person Edward, that person Ed- ward… Big Brother Ed!"

This caused a low growl to emerge from my throat. As I realized what I was doing, Tucker stood up and faced my barely controlled form shaking with concentration not to tear out his throat then run the hell away.

"Mr. Tucker."

"Yes?"

"When did you first get your state certification?" Ed questioned, and I almost grinned. He was on the right track.

"Let's see, It was two years ago."

"And when did your wife leave you?"

"That was two years ago too." I tensed as I saw Tucker frown, ready to attack him if need be.

"I just have one more question for you. Nina and Alexander, where are they?" I heard a clink as Al gasped and looked up.

"Damn brat figured it out so quickly-" He was cut off as Ed launched himself at Tucker, slamming his body against the wall next to me.

"Brother!"

"Oh yeah, I figured it out! You did it again! Two years ago it was your wife, this time, you used your own daughter and her pet dog to transmute a talking chimera! You can only do so much with animals after all, It's much easier when you start with a human, ISN'T THAT RIGHT!"

"I don't see what your so upset about. This is how we progress. Human experimentation is a necessary step." I closed my eyes and winced, He's obviously never been the one under the knife or being poked by the needle. "You would think a _scientist_ would understand-"

"SHUT UP! Do you really think you can get away with this? Messing around with someone's life like that… YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!"

"Someones life you say? You'd know all about that, wouldn't you? Look at you Fullmetal Alchemist, look at your leg, your arm, you brother, even your friend are all results of 'messing around' with somebodys life! Aren't they?"

"SHUT UP!" Ed yelled as he punched Tucker, breaking his glasses on the floor.

Tucker laughed maniacally. "We are the same! We're the same, you're just like me!"

"We're not!"

"Oh, but yes we are. The opportunity was right in front of us and we took it. WE HAD TO EVEN THOUGH WE KNEW IT WAS AGAINST THE RULES!"

Ed started to punch him again, pausing just long enough to put in a few words. I slowly stumbled over to him, then gripped his elbow as he pulled back his arm to punch again. "As much as I hate to say this Ed, but if you keep this up you're going to kill him." My voice wavered slightly and my body still shook, but he got the message. As Ed stepped back, Tuckers body dropped to the floor.

"Edward, help… Daddy, do you hurt… daddy?" I heard the rain beat down and felt the areas around my automail start to ache more intensely than before. As I stepped backwards from Ed, Al kneeled down to pat Nina on the head.

"I'm sorry, even with all our power, we can't do anything to change you back… I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Can we play... now? Can we play now?"

Tucker cradled his pocket watch like a child. "I made it just in time, I get to remain a State Alchemist! I passed!" I closed my eyes and focused on trying not to tremble harder than I already was. I heard a small clink and opened my eyes. Tucker began crawling across the floor to retrieve his fallen pocket watch. I assumed that Ed had kicked it in anger over the mans words.

"Like hell you're staying a State Alchemist…." Ed muttered. "Like hell."

"Can we… play now?" I looked down at the chimera with pitying eyes, but I'm sure that to any onlooker they would have looked cold. I fell to my knees as tears began to roll down my cheeks, and Ed let out an anguished yell.

After that, I went home. I had no desire for any of the military officers, least of all Mustang, to see me in the state I was in. I left for the apartment, but I could tell by the way Ed stormed in (muttering about humanity and 'that damn Colonel') and Al meekly shut the door, that Mustang had said something ugly.

(3591 words, 10 pages) Hey! So first of all, I'm sorry. I just kind of dropped off the earth and kinda feel bad, but I got super ill and almost collapsed at a school function, was throwing up and fevering and shaking, and to top it off I lost my voice. So while I haven't been to school in a week, I spend the past few days of voicelessness writing this for you guys! The holiday chapter (It will be Christmas themed 'cause that's what I celebrate, but you can skip it or think it of a Yule/Winter festival thingy!) will hopefully be out this weekend, or sometime this week.

Stay safe and happy!

-Ira


End file.
